1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a multiple view angles camera for taking wide view angle photographs and a narrow view angle photographs of a specific subject, an automatic photographing apparatus for photographing using this multiple view angles camera, and an iris recognition method for performing iris recognition using this automatic photographing apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
As an iris recognition apparatus, an iris recognition apparatus using the automatic photographing apparatus has been known. The automatic photographing apparatus used for the iris recognition apparatus photographs, first of all, the facial image of a subject standing in front of the apparatus by way of a wide view angle camera. Next, the subject's eye position is automatically detected from this facial image. Then, based on the eye position thus detected, a pan-tilt mechanism aim the narrow view angle camera which is mounted on the mechanism at the eye. Then, the eye image of the subject is photographed by way of the narrow view angle camera, and then it is output to the iris recognition unit.
The iris recognition unit generates iris codes by processing the subject's eye images which is output from the automatic photographing apparatus. By comparing the iris code thus generated with the iris code which is registered in advance, it is determined whether or not the subject is the person himself, and if it is recognized that the subject is the person himself, a predetermined process, such as opening an electric lock, is performed.
For the iris recognition apparatus using the automatic photographing apparatus, it is not required for the subject himself to adjust his eye position to the field of view of the camera. Therefore, its noninvasiveness is the distinctive feature.
However, conventionally, two cameras of a narrow view angle camera for eye photographing and a wide view angle camera for face photographing for eye position detection as the automatic photographing apparatus have been required. Therefore, there has been a problem in which the size of the camera unit which include two cameras has been large and the weight thereof has been heavy. Further, since the image signals have been output from each camera, a circuit for processing the image signals therefor has come to be complex. As a result, there has been a problem in which the cost of the automatic photographing apparatus, in particular the iris recognition apparatus, has come to increase.